respondents indicated that the preferred 

 sardine can size was not ri^t for their 

 households. 



The respondents were shown a full-size 

 sketch of a li-ounce sardine can and ^ere 

 asked to state the number of sardines they 

 would like to find in this size can. The 

 Binr.inghain average of 7.5 small sardiiies to 

 the can was somewhat less than 10.6 average 

 in Boston and 10.7 in Detroit. 



Cans With and 

 Without Keys 



subtly more than 80 percent of the 

 sardine users in Birmingham, 86 percent in 

 Detroit, and more than 90 percent in Boston 

 preferred a sardine can with a key. How- 

 ever, hi percent of those who expressed 

 such a preference among the Birmingham 

 sardine users would not be willing to pay 

 more for a can with a key. In Detroit, 53 

 percent and in Boston, 68 percent would 

 not pay more. The majority of those who 

 would be willing to pay more for a can 

 with a key indicated a willingness to pay 

 only an additional one cent a can. 



Sardine Can Illustrations 



Respondents were shown sketches of a 

 fish scene and a marine scene. They vjere 

 then asked to indicate which would be the 

 more attractive on a sardine can. Seventy 

 percent of the respondents in Birmingham 

 and 55 percent in Detroit preferred the 

 fish scene. In Boston, the marine scene 

 was preferred by 53 percent; the fish 

 scene, by hh percent. 



MAINE VERSUS CALTFCRNIA SARDINES 



Preferences 



Three -fourths of the sardine users in 

 all three cities who serve domestic 

 sardines indicated that they usually 

 bought Maine sardines. In Birminghain , lU 

 percent of the users usually bought Cali- 

 fornia sardines; in Boston 10 percent and 

 in Detroit 19 percent. 



Appearance of 

 California Sardines 



Fifty-two percent of the sardine users 

 in Birmingham thought that the appearance 

 of California sardines was satisfactory 



when the can was opened; in Boston, 35 per- 

 cent were of this opinion; and in Detroit, 

 U5 percent. The proportion who did not 

 find the product's appearance satisfactory 

 in Birmingham was 15 percent; in Boston, 

 6 percent; and in Detroit, 19 percent. 



/The skilled interviewers 

 successfully used the probe 

 technique to discover the ways 

 in which the appearance of the 

 California sardines did not 

 please the latter group of 

 respondents ._/ 



In response to an open question and 

 the subsequent probe, those users who were 

 not pleased with the appearance of the 

 California sardines mentioned "look too 

 large" most frequently as the reason. 



Appearance of 

 Maine Sardines 



In Birmin^am, 82 percent of the 

 sardine users were pleased with the appear- 

 ance of Maine sardines when the can was 

 opened; only 10 percent were not. Fifty- 

 one percent in Boston thought that the 

 appearance was satisfactory; only 6 per- 

 cent were of the opposite opinion. The 

 appearance favorably impressed 80 percent 

 of the Detroit users; only 12 percent 

 indicated that it was not pleasing to them. 



Comparison of Maine and 

 California Sardine Users 



Detroit was the only city that 

 provided a sufficient number of users of 

 California sardines to make possible a 

 comparison of Maine and California sardine 

 users. The items used in the comparison 

 of the Detroit user groups are summarized 

 as follows: 



Sardine users who usually bought 

 Maine sardines served them an average of 

 2,8 times in the four weeks prior to the 

 interview. California sardines were 

 seived 2,9 times during the same period 

 by those who usually bought that product. 



Sixty-five percent of the Maine 

 sardine users bought the product packed in 

 vegetable oil most frequently. One-fourth 

 of th-r California users indicated that 

 they usually purchased sardines packed in 

 tomato sauce; only one -twentieth of the 

 Maine sardine users usually chose this 

 style of pack. 



